Sermon - "CHRIST REIGNS"

1. There are times when God’s people need to be reminded, afresh and anew, whose we are and whom we serve. To this end, turn to the 93^rd Psalm.

2. As you are turning to that passage, let me mention that in Second Corinthians 1.3-4, the apostle Paul writes these words to the Corinthians during a time when he knew they were experiencing some real anxiety:

³Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

⁴Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

3. Then, in Romans 15.4, he wrote these words that shed some light on the kind of difficulties and adversities every Christian can be expected to face: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.”

4. Because you will need some eventually even if you do not need some now, I want to bring some comfort you who are Christians. I want to encourage you from God’s Word with this 93^rd Psalm. Of course, those of you who are not converted will not rightly be comforted by this message, but perhaps it will serve to persuade you why you should be converted to Christ and saved from the wrath to come.

5. This psalm was recognized by Jews in ancient times, by Adam Clarke in Puritan times, by John Gill in First Great Awakening times, by Alfred Edersheim and Charles H. Spurgeon in the 19^th century, and by a number of theologians and Bible teachers in our day, to be a psalm associated with the messianic kingdom.^[1]

6. The messianic kingdom is that kingdom the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples to pray for in Matthew 6.10: “Thy kingdom come.” The messianic kingdom is also that kingdom the Lord Jesus Christ, Who of course is the Messiah of Israel, will establish here on earth at the time of His second coming in power and great glory.

7. But before we read Psalm 93 together, and before the encouraging and comforting of Christians begins, listen to what Paul wrote about the Lord Jesus Christ in Colossians 1.16-17:

¹⁶For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

8. We know that there is only one God. “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD,” Deuteronomy 6.4. And “there is none other God but one,” First Corinthians 8.4. But God is a trinity, three Persons who are but one God. Sometimes, especially in the New Testament, the Persons of the triune godhead are distinguished. At other times, especially in the Old Testament, the Persons of the triune godhead are not distinguished.

9. Thus, in Genesis 1.1, we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” The Persons of the godhead are not distinguished in that verse. But in John 1.3, the Lord Jesus Christ is distinguished as that Person of the godhead Who created all things: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

10. The same is true in Colossians 1.16, which I just read: “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” By Jesus Christ were all things created; by him, and for him.

11. I have mentioned these things so you will recognize that, as we stand to read the 93^rd Psalm, we are reading five verses that do not expressly mention the Lord Jesus Christ by name. Nevertheless, He is the subject of this 93^rd Psalm. This psalm is all about Him.

¹The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.

³The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.

⁴The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

⁵Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.

13. After brother Isenberger comes and leads us in a song, I will bring this morning’s sermon from God’s Word, titled “Christ Reigns.”

1. Are you a Christian who is being persecuted? Be comforted by the fact that Christ reigns. Suffering affliction from unconverted family members? Be comforted by the fact that Christ reigns. Enduring physical ailments that leave you miserable? Be comforted by the fact that Christ reigns. Facing an obstacle in your life that seems insurmountable? Christ reigns.

2. Perhaps you are discouraged. I tell you that Christ reigns. Perhaps you feel weak and impotent in the face of temptations and trials. On the authority of God’s Word, I remind you that Christ reigns. All praise to Him Who reigns above, in majesty supreme.

3. Why did Joseph persevere in prison, knowing that he had done no wrong? Why did Daniel continue to pray as at other times, knowing that it might cost him his life? Why did the three Hebrews refuse to bow down to the idols, when faced with the fiery furnace? How could Paul and Silas have rejoiced after being beaten and imprisoned in Philippi?

4. How is it that the gospel continues to spread in the face of fierce communist and Islamic opposition? Why do young girls boldly evangelize and bring others to Christ in the face of beatings, rapes, and even martyrdoms in such countries as Nigeria, Pakistan, and Indonesia? There is only one answer. It is the same answer to every question of its kind. It is the answer of the ages. Christ reigns.

5. Who wrote Psalm 93? Perhaps it was Moses. Perhaps it was David. The human author is a mystery, but the divine Author was the Holy Spirit of God. Notice what the Holy Spirit tells us in this psalm about the LORD, this One whose name is Jehovah (the meaning of this word LORD), who we know to be the Lord Jesus Christ. Five things:

1B. Do the kings of this earth have their royal clothes? Well, my king is said to be “clothed with majesty.” But what is majesty? Majesty is defined as stately dignity and as imposing character. It is supreme greatness and sovereignty.^[2] And the Lord Jesus Christ is clothed with it.

2B. Simon Peter once wrote that the apostles were “eyewitnesses of his majesty.”^[3] And in Job 37.22, he tells us that “with God is terrible majesty.” Terrible majesty is majesty that inspires terror, that overwhelms with awe, that fills with fear, that leaves one with astonishment, and that staggers the comprehension of the lowly creature.

3B. Listen to what the apostle John wrote about Christ being clothed in majesty: “and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”^[4] As well, listen to Matthew’s account of three of Christ’s apostles seeing Him clothed in majesty. He writes that our Lord “was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.”^[5]

4B. The prophet Isaiah wrote of his experience with this One Who is clothed in majesty, in Isaiah 6.1-5:

¹In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

²Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

³And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.

⁴And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

⁵Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

5B. Who can compare to our King in His glory? Who is to be esteemed next to His excellent greatness? Who else is worthy to bow before? It is at His name that every knee is bent, every head is bowed, and every tongue confesses that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ does, indeed, reign . . . gloriously.

1B. The psalmist continues in verse one with these words: “the LORD is clothed with strength.” He is not only clothed with majesty, as a prince in his court, but He is clothed with strength, as a general in his camp. By this, we understand that He has the wherewithal to support His greatness and to make it truly formidable. See Him not only clad in the robes of royalty, but also clad in the armor of conquest. Both strength and honor are His clothing. This shows us that He can do everything, and that with Him nothing is impossible.

2B. We are told that with this strength “he hath girded himself.” This means that His strength is not derived from anyone else. Nor does the exercise of His strength depend upon anyone else. He has His strength of Himself, and does with it whatsoever He pleases. Therefore, let us not fear the power of man, which is both borrowed and limited, but let us fear Him Who has power to kill and to cast into Hell.^[6]

3B. My friends, it is owing to His power that the world stands to this day. Verse 1 ends, “the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.” So, not only was the world brought into existence by His power, but it is sustained by His power. Where have we heard this concept before? Colossians 1.16-17:

4B. Job says the same thing, but in a poetic fashion, in Job 23.7: “He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.” This is a verse that says more about the maintenance of the existing order than its creation. So, what we observe to be the preserving of the powers and course of nature is actually what the Lord Jesus Christ ought to be glorified for doing. And we who benefit from His nature each and every day are very careless and ungrateful if we fail to give Him the glory that is due Him for it all.

5B. Though He clothes Himself with majesty, yet He condescends to take care of this world and to tend to our affairs. And, if He established this world so that it cannot be moved, much more will He establish His people and His cause, that we cannot be moved. The Lord Jesus Christ does, truly, reign powerfully.

1B. How do we know the Lord Jesus Christ reigns eternally? Psalm 93.2 reads, “Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.” Hebrews 1.8 reads, “But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” The Lord Jesus Christ’s right to rule the universe is founded in His creation of the universe. He that brought the world into existence, no doubt, has every right to rule it, and so is His title to the government incontestable: “Thy throne is established.”

2B. His is a title without a flaw or defect. His is a title that is ancient. His is a title that is established of old, from the beginning of time, before any other rule, principality, or power was erected. He truly is the king of all glory, the King of kings, and the Lord of lords.

3B. Does the Lord Jesus Christ reign . . . eternally? Listen to Paul’s words to Timothy, in First Timothy 6.15-16, to make up your mind for you. He describes his Lord Jesus to young Timothy as “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” If He is the blessed and only Potentate, if He is the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and if He only has immortality, then it is very safe to say that He does, indeed, reign . . . eternally. Amen?

³The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.

⁴The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.

1B. The imagery in this portion of the poem is of a threatening storm. “The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice.” This speaks of terror. “The floods lift up their waves.” This is worse, for this speaks of real danger. The allusion is of a tempestuous sea. Yet Isaiah 57.20 compares the wicked to such a scene: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.” So the psalmist has created a scene in which wicked men terrorize and frighten the child of God.

2B. But do wicked men actually behave this way? Psalm 2.1 indicates that the heathen rage, so, yes, they do behave this way. Isaiah 54.11 shows that God’s people are sometimes “afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted.” And in Psalm 18.4, the psalmist admitted “the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.” So you see, any child of God can be overwhelmed with doubts, with fears, with circumstances, both by enemies and by the weaknesses of the flesh.

3B. Praise be to God, then, that the Lord Jesus Christ, Who once walked on the rough waters and quieted the wind, is still able to calm the stormy seas. Notice what Psalm 93.4 tells us about our sea anchor, Who provides stability during times of distress: “The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.” He is mightier, and does more wondrous things, than the noise of many waters.

4B. The point that needs to be made is that they cannot disturb His rest or rule. They cannot defeat His designs and purposes. Our most powerful foes are nothing more to Him than the noise of many waters. There is more sound than substance to them. Look back over your life’s experiences. Have you not typically been more frightened than hurt? Why is this so? This is so because Christ is mightier than this noise which so frequently troubles us and robs us of sleep. After all, He is the One Who can, according to Psalm 65.7, still “the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.”

5B. Our Lord was once asleep on a pillow in a little boat during a violent storm. When His disciples were overcome with fear they woke Him and said, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Then “he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”^[7] If He can calm the wind and the waves, can He not calm your heart and mind? If He can rule over nature triumphantly, and over all His enemies triumphantly, can He not deal with your enemies and circumstances triumphantly? The answer, of course, is yes.

“Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever.”

1B. This, of course, means that all of His promises are reliable. You can take them to the bank. Did He not say, “I am the way, the truth, and the life?” So, He is true to the promises He makes concerning our safety and His victory. John 6.37: “All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6.39: “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.”

2B. You can rely on His word. So, what should your response to His trustworthiness be? He promises safety and keeps His promises. He says you are secure from harm. So, what should your response be? The psalmist puts the proper words into our mouths: “Holiness becometh thy house, O LORD, for ever.” This is a reference to Christ’s household, so I will apply it to both this church and the household of faith.

3B. Whether you are a member of this church or a Christian who is our guest this morning, this church and the household of faith at large can be likened to God’s house. It is cleansed from sin, consecrated by God, and it should be employed in His service. The holiness of this church is our beauty (saints are never so attractive than when conforming to the image of Christ).

4B. My friends, it is the holiness of this church that secures her against the many waters of our enemies and their sometimes frightening noise. But no matter the noise, where there is purity there will be peace. Fashions change, and that which is popular at one point in history is not so at another time. But holiness always reflects well on Christ’s church, and those who are members. Let other churches follow this fad and then that fad. Let other Christians be blown by one wind of doctrine and then another. Our response to Christ’s glorious, powerful, eternal, triumphant reign will be holiness.

1. If you are not now discouraged, you have been. If you are not now discouraged, you will be. This is because life is properly likened to changing weather conditions, and sometimes the storm winds blow and the waves crash in on us.

2. This psalm shows that our Lord Jesus Christ reigns, that His throne is established from everlasting, and that He is mightier than the noise and even the mighty waves of the stormed tossed seas of life. He is clothed with majesty and strength, and His testimonies are very sure.

3. What safety and security is guaranteed to that one who belongs to Christ. What holiness will be his response, and will be the response of that congregation he worships and serves Christ with and in.

4. But how dangerous it is to be unconverted, to be accounted as noise and waves, to be a Christ-rejecter.

^[1] Adam Clarke, Clarke’s Commentary, Vol 3 (New York: Abingdon Press), page 517, Charles H. Spurgeon, The Treasury Of David, Volume II, (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers), pages 134 and 137, see footnote for Psalm 93 from John MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible, (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1997), page 826.

^[2] Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, (New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1996), page 1161.

^[3] 2 peter 1.16

^[4] John 1.14

^[5] Matthew 17.2

^[6] Matthew 10.28

^[7] Mark 4.38-39